Insulated electrical tool



y 1953 w. s. CHADWICK 2,646,304

INSULATED ELECTRICAL TOOL Filed March 22, '1948 INVENTJR WELLINGTON S, CHADWICK ATTO R NEY Patented July 21, 1 953 UNITE-D STATES l '2,646,304 c I INSULATED ELECTRIeAL' 'TOOL Wellington S. Chadwick, Bucyrus, Ohio;

Application March22, 1948, Serial No.16,2'17

3 Claims. (Cl. 294--19) This invention relates generally to insulated electrical tools'and more'spe'cifi'cally toinsulated tools for handling disc-type insulators when they are being introduced into orv removed from 'insulator strings, the predominant object of themvention being to provide animproved'insulated tool adapted for use in; performing the function referred to above, which is simple in construe-- tion and which is operablewithease and facility to perform such function in a highly efficient manner. T

Prior to this invention disc-type insulators were handled, during operations of introducing such .insulators into insulator strings, or removing jsuch insulators fromin'sulator strings, with the aid of atool that comprised a rigid, fork-like cast- .ing supported at an end of an elongated wood pole. The rigid fork-likecastingwas wedged .into the gripping relation. with'respect' to portions of the insulator to be handled by it, and

theinsulator was elevatedto; or removed from, the position of the insulator string with the aidlof the elongated pole of the tool,with the frictional grip between the fork-like casting of the tool and portions of the insulator being solely relied on to prevent unintended detachment of the insulator from the tool.

-The tool of the present invention differs from the earlier tool described above mainly because,

of the fact that the tool disclosedherein' is provided with a pair of adjustable gripping jaws which may' be adjusted into positive gripping i relation with respect to portions of the insulator being handled. Thus; an insulator being handled with the aid of the tool of the present invention is so securely gripped by the jaws of the tool thatany likelihood that the insulator will beunintentionally displaced from the tool during handling thereof, is reduced to a minimum. Fig. l is a side elevation of the improved tool invention, A designatcs the 'improved tool generally. The toolfA comprises-a pole l,-of suitable length, which is formed of wood," or other suit.-

-of thepresent invention; portions being-broken Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the upper portion of the tool of the present invention. 1

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the jaws of the improved'tool as shown in Fig.2,

, a fragment of an insulator-being shown'gripped' of illustration merely,- one embodiment of the rable electrical insulating material,- said pole being prefer'ablyfthough not necessarily, of circular cross-sectional shape and being cut away at its upper portion to provide a pair of opposed fiat faces la. Secured to the upper portion of the pole I at the opposed flat faces la thereof is a pair of spaced members 2, said spaced members being formed of Bakelite or other suitable electrical insulating material and being shaped as is shown to good advantage in-Fig. 2. The spaced members 2 are secured to the upper portion of the pole l by a pair of bolts a'whose'sh'ank portions extend. through alined openings formed through the spaced membersandthrough the upper portion of the pole l.

Operatively associated with thespa'ced members 2 is a pair of jaws 4 and'5, portions of said jaws being interposed between opposite end portions of the spaced members 2 and pivot bolts 6 being extended through alined openingsformed through said end portions of said spaced members and through the interposed portions of said jaws so'as to support said jaws for pivotal movement relative to said spaced members. The jaws 4 andfi are shaped as is shown to good advantage in Fig. 2; that is to say said jaws comprise arcuate upper portions 4a and 5a; from which extend downwardly projected portions 4b and 5b. The

inner faces of the arcuate portions of the jaws.

said bracket having a vertically disposed legi which parallels the pole l and a pair of vertical ly spaced, horizontal legs, as is shown-to good advantagein'Fig. 6. The' bracket 1 is secured to one of the spaced members 2 by bolts 8'which extend through alined openingsformed through the vertical leg of the bracket, through the spaced 7 members 2, and'through thepole, the heads of the bolts being countersunk in the tapered bolt openings formed in the vertical leg of the bracket. Supported bythe horizontal legs of the bracket 1 is a screwthreaded operating element [0, said operating element being extended through smoothopen'ings formed through the horizontal legs of the bracket 1 for rotation therein, and said operating element having'a collar ll mounted thereon which contacts witlra washerarranged at the top face: ofthupper-horiin B designates the insulator, the insulator beingmseated in the V-shaped element I0. Connected to the lower end of the 1 operating element I by means of a suitable swivel joint I4 is an operating stick I5, formed of wood"-- or other suitable electrical insulating material, said stick being normally arranged in parallelism with respect'tothe pole I and being adapted for rotation about its axis so as to subject the operating element I0 to like axial rotation.

Mounted on the operating element II], for vertical movement with respect thereto, is a nut I6, said nut I5 having pivotally attached to its opposite end portions by means of pivot ele- ,me nts I'I, a pair-of links I8, said links being formed of Bakelite or other suitable electrical insulating material. The ends of the links I8 ppposite tothe ends thereof which are connected to the nut I5 are pivotally connected to the lower portions of the jaws i and 5, such pivotal connection being efiected through the instrumentality of elongated pivot elements I3; These elongated pivot elements I8 extend through alined openings formed through the end portions of the links I8 and through lower portions of the jaws .4 and 5. r

v In describing the operation of the improved tool oithe present invention, let it be assumed that the tool is to be employed to remove a defective insulator from an insulator string and to replace such defective insulator with a perfect insulator. The first step of the operation is to elevate the upper portion of the tool to the position'of the insulator to be handled and rotate the operating stick i5 axially in the proper direction to-cause the nut it to move upwardly relative to the screwthreaded operating element I5, whereby the'lower portions of the jaws i and 5 will be drawn inwardlyand the upper portions ofv the jaws land 5 will be moved outwardly. The upper portionsof the jaws 4 and 5 are then applied to the insulator to be removed and the operating stick i5 is rotated axially to cause the upper portions of the jaws to securely grip the insulator, as shown in Fig. 3 whereportions of grooves ic and Ecol the jaws. A second lineman may then disconnect the tool-gripped insulator from adjacent insulators of the string of insulators, whereupon the tool-gripped insulator may be lowered to the ground with the aid of the tool. The replacement insulator will then be gripped bythe upper portions of the jaws of the tool, as has been previously explained, and said replacement insulator is elevated to the insulator string whereit is held with the aid of the tool until the second lineman connects it to adjacent insulatorsof the insulator string, whereupon the jaws of the, tool will be disengaged from the replacement insulator and said tool lowered to the ground,

I claim: j.

1., An insulator handling tool comprising a pole, a pair of jaws having insulator gripping portions, meansior mounting said jaws-relative to said pole for pivotal movement, and means for subjecting said jaws to such pivotal movement as to move said, insulator gripping portions thereof toward and from each other, said jaw moving means comprising a screwthreaded operating 4 element, bracket means fixed on said pole for supporting said screwthreaded operating element for rotation about its axis, a nut mounted on said screwthreaded operating element for movement in response to axial rotation of said screwthreaded operating elements, said bracket means having a portion which limits movement of said nut links for operatively connecting said jaws to said nut for transmitting movement from said nut to said jaws, and means for subjecting said screwthreaded operating element to axial rotation, the last-mentioned means comprising an operating stick spaced outwardly from said pole and which is normally disposed in substantial parallelism with respect to said pole and is connected to said screwthreaded operating element. 2. An insulator handling tool comprising a pole, a pair of jaws having insulator gripping portions, means for mounting said jaws relative to said pole'for pivotal movement, and'mea'ns for subjecting said jaws to such pivotal move- 'ment as to move said insulator gripping portions thereof toward andirom each other, said jaw moving means comprising a screwthreaded operating element, bracket means fixed on said pole for supporting said screwthreaded operating element for rotation about its axis, a nut mounted on said screwthreaded operating element for movement in response to axial rotation of said screwthreaded operating element, links for operatively connecting said jaws to said nut for transmitting movementfrom said nut to said jaws, means for subjecting said screwthreaded operating element to axial rotation, the lastmentioned means comprising an operating stick ,to said pole for pivotal movement, and means for subjecting said jaws to such pivotal movement as to move said insulator gripping portions thereof toward and from each other, said jaw moving means comprising a screwthreaded operating element, bracket means fixed on said pole for supporting said screwthreaded operating element for rotation about its axis, a nut mounted on said screwthreaded operating element for movement in response to axial rotation of said screwthreaded operating element, links for operatively connecting said jaws to said nut for transmitting movement from said nut to said jaws, means for subjecting said screwthreaded operating element to axial rotation, the lastmentioned means comprising an operating stick spaced outwardly from said pole and which is normally disposed in substantial parallelism withrespect to said pole, and a swivel joint for connecting said operating stick to said screwthreaded operating element.

WELLINGTON S. CHADWICK.

References" Cited in the file of this patent.

- UNITED STATES'PATENTS Number Name Date 981,857 Hubbard et a1 Jan. 1'7, 1911 1,267,009 Stearn May 21, 1918 1,430,053 Bush Sept. 26, 1822 1,722,075 Coon July 23, 1929 1,843,618 McKay Feb. 2, 1932 1,853,598 ,Birkenmaier Apr. 12, 1932 

